{"id":14349,"date":"2024-06-14T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T09:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/?p=14349"},"modified":"2024-06-14T09:00:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T09:00:23","slug":"launch-of-phase-ii-of-the-maritime-security-project-funded-by-the-u-s-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/?p=14349","title":{"rendered":"Launch of Phase II of the Maritime Security Project \u2013 funded by the U.S. Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Karachi  :\u2013  The Government of Pakistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched \u2018Improved National Response against Drugs and Contraband Trafficking in the Maritime Domain (Phase II).\u2019<\/em> This initiative funded by the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is a twelve-month endeavor aimed at enhancing Pakistan\u2019s maritime capabilities to combat drug and contraband trafficking.  This project will be jointly implemented by UNODC Pakistan (COPAK) and UNODC\u2019s Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony was co-chaired by Rear Admiral of Pakistan Navy Imtiaz Ali \u2013 Director General Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), and Charg\u00e9 d’affaires (CDA) of the United States Mission in Pakistan Andrew Schofer who joined with other notable dignitaries from UNODC, INL, Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG), and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While warmly welcoming the participants, Dr. Jeremy Milsom, UNODC COPAK representative highlighted UNODC\u2019s collaboration with the Ministry of Narcotics Control during the design and implementation of the Phase I Project (October 2020 to March 2023). He noted, \u201cUNODC is adopting a holistic approach to support the Government of Pakistan in addressing diverse drugs and crime challenges more effectively both domestically and by fostering Pakistan\u2019s partnership at various regional and international forums. While fully aligned with UNODC\u2019s global and country strategies, this Phase II project would greatly complement the government\u2019s vision and ongoing efforts to strengthen Pakistan\u2019s border management, drug supply reduction, and the rule of law \u2013 aimed at creating a secure environment for the Pakistani people\u201d, said Dr. Milsom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. David O\u2019Connell, GMCP\u2019s Programme Coordinator, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the threat dynamics related to the smuggling of drugs and other items through Pakistan.  He highlighted the achievements of the Phase I Project which aligned with the Government of Pakistan\u2019s strategic priorities for border management.  Additionally, Mr. O\u2019Connell provided an overview of the Phase II Project, detailing its intended outcomes such as \u2018Improvements to interagency coordination between Pakistan\u2019s maritime law enforcement agencies\u2019; enhancing cooperation between Pakistan\u2019s law enforcement agencies and their regional counterparts; and increasing the capability of Pakistan\u2019s law enforcement agencies in detecting, deterring, and disrupting drugs and contraband trafficking through coastal areas and maritime domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks, CDA Andrew Schofer emphasized that insuring a secure maritime environment is not only a priority for Pakistan, but a global imperative, as drug trafficking and smuggling contribute to instability and jeopardize the security of nations worldwide.  The CDA noted \u201cBy confronting these issues head-on, we are contributing to a safer and more prosperous future for all\u201d while highlighting the 77 years of partnership between the Governments of the United States and Pakistan, and the 42 years of the U.S. Mission to Pakistan\u2019s security assistance through INL.  \u201cI look forward to the roundtable discussion and hope we may identify areas for greater collaboration that can benefit Pakistan\u2019s maritime security and help to make the country a safer, more prosperous, and drug-free nation\u201d added CDA Schofer.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks, Rear Admiral Imtiaz Ali elaborated that due to its geographical disposition, Pakistan has long been exposed to the negative impacts of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances from Afghanistan. He noted, \u201cAs a signatory to the three United Nations drug conventions, the Government of Pakistan envisions a healthier Pakistani nation \u2013 that is free from the menace of drug trafficking and the ill effects on health caused by using narcotics drugs. Opiates and synthetic drugs produced in Afghanistan are transported through the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to various destination countries in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Pakistan, therefore, continues to serve as the first line of defense against a massive outflow of narcotic drugs from Afghanistan \u2013 that threatens security throughout our region and beyond. The Government of Pakistan is addressing this issue with resilience \u2013 to protect our society, and at the same time, shielding the rest of the world\u201d, said Rear Admiral Imtiaz Ali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project launch was followed by a roundtable discussion hosted by CDA Andrew Schofer. It reviewed current and emerging threats, lessons learned, and recommendations for UNODC\u2019s capacity development in Pakistan. Ms. Lori Antolinez, Director of U.S. Embassy Islamabad\u2019s INL Program concluded the roundtable by thanking the senior leadership of Pakistani ministries and maritime law enforcement for their candid views and emphasized the U.S. Embassy\u2019s commitment to partnering with Pakistan\u2019s law enforcement and maritime security agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karachi  :\u2013  The Government of Pakistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched \u2018Improved National Response against Drugs and Contraband Trafficking in the Maritime Domain (Phase… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":14350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,13],"tags":[367,1092,1091,1090,1095,1093,1089,679,1094],"class_list":["post-14349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diplomacy-corner","category-main-stories","tag-anti-narcotics-force-anf","tag-charge-daffaires-cda-of-the-united-states-mission-in-pakistan","tag-director-general-pakistan-maritime-security-agency-pmsa","tag-global-maritime-crime-programme-gmcp","tag-gmcps-programme-coordinator","tag-pakistan-coast-guards-pcg","tag-u-s-department-of-states-bureau-of-international-narcotics-and-law-enforcement-affairs-inl","tag-united-nations-office-on-drugs-and-crime-unodc","tag-unodc-copak-representative"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14351,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14349\/revisions\/14351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}